Chapter 811: Worn Out from Worrying

The imperial court's laws were clear, but on the ground, because Wang Xiaojing's family had rebelled, the county office would closely monitor them, sending inspectors back periodically.

And local preferential policies—such as exemptions from labor duties or taxes—were often given last to families like theirs, or outright revoked.

This kind of random, arbitrary treatment couldn't be appealed.

Since Magistrate Wang had specifically mentioned it, he must be able to deliver it—this would be the best possible way for Wang Xiaojing's family to reintegrate into the village.

His parents had set a fine example.

Pan Yun smiled sweetly.

Pan Su beside her seemed lost in thought.

After friendly exchanges, Pan Su had already offered incense and produced ten taels of silver to purchase a talisman of safety.

Pan Yun took two talismans of safety from her sleeve, folded them neatly, and handed them over with perfect bureaucratic detachment.

Ten taels meant two talismans—no extra one was given.

Magistrate Wang didn't believe in them, so he casually slipped his own talisman into his wife's purse and hung it on her waist, with no intention of seeking its protection.

Pan Su mused: "I noticed how well you got along with Daoist Pan just now."

Magistrate Wang stroked his beard and said: "I don't know if she truly possesses divine powers, but she has compassion and no desire for power—she truly deserves her reputation."

Pan Su: "Before we came, you suspected her of seeking fame through pretense—how did you change your mind after just one meeting?"

Magistrate Wang stroked his beard and chuckled: "So you see, judging people and matters requires no assumptions—wife, stop teasing me."

Pan Su smiled and turned to look back at the mountain god temple, hidden among mountain mist and incense smoke, then nodded: "Very well. Since you don't want monks or Daoists involved in county affairs, and Daoist Pan has no interest in flattery, let it be this way."

Magistrate Wang nodded vigorously—so long as Pan Yun didn't sabotage his governance, wasn't it better to coexist peacefully?

Back at the county office, Pan Su ordered preparations for a gift box.

Magistrate Wang "huh?"ed in curiosity: "Who are you sending gifts to now?"

"My cousin sister—her birthday is in the first lunar month. I want to send her gift early, to get ahead of the curve," Pan Su smiled. "Isn't her husband your direct superior? We should strengthen ties between the two families."

Magistrate Wang quickly glanced outside and lowered his voice: "Does anyone know about our connection to Ming Ren?"

"If you don't say it, and I don't say it—who would know?"

Magistrate Wang exhaled: "Better not say anything—otherwise, people will think I got this post through Ming Ren's influence."

Pan Su nodded with a smile: "I know. I'll have someone deliver the gift quietly, so no one finds out. But even if no one knows, the proper courtesies must still be observed."

Magistrate Wang nodded.

Meanwhile, Wang Feiyin watched the worshippers gradually disperse, and as Pan Yun swept the altar, he asked about the newly appointed Magistrate Wang: "You should thank Lord Ming."

Pan Yun: "Ming Ren?"

Wang Feiyin nodded: "Lord Ming has worn himself out for Yushan County."

He said: "Cai Cheng was rewarded for accepting surrender, but his merits don't cancel his crimes. Yushan County rebelled because he bore half the blame. And since reopening the silver mine was the Emperor's order, imperial officials dared not blame the Emperor, so they dumped all possible blame onto him. Soon after you left, he was arrested and thrown into prison in Jingcheng."

Pan Yun: "It's been months—hasn't he been sentenced yet?"

Wang Feiyin: "Major cases like this take time. Deng Maoqi is still seizing cities and territories in Fujian. I think the court wants to merge both cases into one—it'll drag on for a while."

"After this disaster, the people's trust in the government has hit rock bottom, while incense offerings at temples and monasteries have grown steadily. Though I'm the abbot of the Three Pure Ones Monastery, I know that if this continues, it won't benefit the people," Wang Feiyin said. "Lord Ming saw this too, and after carefully selecting among the officials in Houguan, he chose Magistrate Wang to succeed as county magistrate. He's only a Provincial Graduate—had Lord Ming not strongly recommended him to Lord Yu, and had Lord Yu not petitioned the court, Magistrate Wang would never have come to Yushan County."

Pan Yun rubbed her chin: "Magistrate Wang doesn't seem very clever, but he's perceptive. People like him have sharp instincts. He's upright enough, and just a little lazy—perfect for Yushan County."

Wang Feiyin nodded with a smile: "The people fear officials who do nothing, but also fear those who act recklessly. Someone like him is ideal."

He's also ideal for the Three Pure Ones Monastery and the Mountain God Temple—our abbot is reclusive, spending most of the year in seclusion or deep in the mountains cultivating;

And the temple keeper is still in training, spending most of the year outside learning and gaining experience—both suit a casual approach.

An overly ambitious magistrate keeps popping up, and if we go, we waste time; if we don't, we seem disrespectful.

Didn't Cai Cheng hate Wang Feiyin and Pan Yun precisely because he was too eager to advance, too desperate for achievements?

Now that the magistrate has become gentle and detached, Pan Yun's troubles have halved, and her mood has improved greatly: "Senior Brother, let's stay a few more days before we leave."

Wang Feiyin asked slowly: "Where to? The Imperial Academy hasn't opened yet, has it?"

"You know perfectly well—of course we're going to Ji'an County. Cong'er will likely head to Quanzhou, and I'll find a chance to visit Jingcheng and see my father and brothers."

Wang Feiyin didn't stop her, only warned: "Remember—you've already broken through the First Marquis rank, stepped beyond the mortal world. You must not invest too much emotion in your parents or family."

Pan Yun: "I know. You're afraid I can't bear watching my father and brothers grow old and fall into qi deviation, doing something against the Dao. Don't worry—I know the Dao Yuan Fa Ze by heart."

Wang Feiyin: "Speaking of the Dao Yuan Fa Ze…"

"Oh no, this, that—isn't it getting dark?" Pan Yun immediately stood up and called to Seeing Miao Zhen, who was still cleaning: "Miao Zhen, check if anyone in the village is selling meat—we need to buy some for dinner."

Seeing Miao Zhen replied, put down her cloth, walked to the door, then paused and turned back: "Little Master, why do you look so guilty?" "Nonsense, why would I feel guilty?" Pan Yun wiped sweat from her forehead.

Wang Feiyin stared at her in silence, then waved to Seeing Miao Zhen. Once she left, he said: "Hmph. Guilty? I was going to tell you—the Celestial Masters' Mansion plans to add several new rules to the Dao Yuan Fa Ze and invite all renowned monasteries to Long Hushan for discussion. I'm leaving for Long Hushan in February."

Pan Yun exhaled, then frowned: "Why add more? There are already so many rules—add the Imperial Academy's Code, and I'm about to go bald. Will I have to flip through both books before stepping out to check whether I should step with my right foot first or my left?"

"Stop complaining. More rules won't stop you from breaking them. I ask you—how many rules and codes did you break in Changzhou last time?"

Pan Yun rubbed her nose and stayed silent.

Wang Feiyin snorted and waved: "Go on then. Find Xiao Shiyi in the village and bring her up the mountain for a meat meal."

"Okay."

Xiao Shiyi had been fostered by Wang Xiaojing's family. In just a few months, she'd grown plump and bright, nearly forgetting Pan Yun.

Memories of Xiao Liuzi and the others were fading from her mind; in a few more years, she might forget these older siblings entirely.

She was too young to remember.

And after nearly starving to death, when she woke up, she'd forgotten many things.

Pan Yun knew the mind deliberately forgets and blurs painful memories.

Things that should be deeply etched sink into the depths of memory—even when deliberately recalled, they grow fuzzy, or vanish entirely.

So she said nothing, just carried her up the mountain. The whole mountain gathered around her to play, shared a lavish dinner, gave her new clothes and shoes bought in Ji'an County, then carried her on their shoulders back down.

Pan Yun stood at Shankou watching her run toward Xiaojing's mother, hand in hand, skipping and jumping—and her own heart soared: "This is good for her."

Wang Cong: "Little Xiao Shishu, I've already had the merchant houses take the portraits of Xiao Liuzi and the others out of town, and we've even flipped through several human traffickers' dens — so far, no one has been found."

Pan Yun's voice fell low: "Take the portraits along, and ask at every place the caravan passes through. If we can find them, that's best; if not…"

She paused — after all, these were children she had sponsored for a long time — and said in a low voice, "Let's keep looking."

Wang Cong agreed.

He glanced up at the mountaintop and suggested, "Why not ask Xue Shao for help?"

He said, "His uncle is a Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. When officials seriously look for someone, they have many channels — channels we can't reach."

Pan Yun considered: "It's worth a try."

With Xue Shao, Pan Yun felt no awkwardness; she went straight to him and explained.

Xue Shao agreed immediately — it wasn't a bad thing, and catching kidnappers also fell within the Court of Judicial Review's scope of duties.

"But don't get your hopes up too high. Last year there were both natural disasters and man-made calamities, and Yushan County was in utter chaos. No one knows whether they were taken, sold themselves, or… with such heavy traffic at the time, I'm afraid it'll be very hard to find them."

Pan Yun: "I'm mentally prepared."

Xue Shao wrote a letter to his uncle.

Xue Xuan hadn't expected it — Xue Shao, who hadn't written to him in ages, suddenly sent a thick bundle of letters. He opened it: inside were ten portraits and one thin sheet of letter paper.

Xue Xuan pressed the portraits down and read the letter first. The attendant beside him couldn't help but laugh: "The Young Master really does take after you, Master."

Xue Xuan scanned it at a glance and said casually, "I don't have that kind of spirit in me. Do you know what he's gone off to do now?"

The attendant laughed and shook his head.

Xue Xuan sighed and said, "He went off to cultivate the Dao after all."

The attendant hadn't expected that. After a stunned pause, he said, "Xue Taixu is going to lead the clan's young men astray."

Xue Xuan: "Each person has their own fate, and each descendant has their own path ahead. Xue Shao is not a three-year-old child — this is his own choice. I think he must have made it after careful deliberation."

"If you understand, Master, why do you seem so melancholy?"

Xue Xuan sighed: "It's just that life is short. I fear he's chosen the wrong path, and when he wants to turn back in the future, he'll find there isn't enough time."

He shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "I used to always think parents who disciplined their children thought too much — gripping the kite string so tightly that the kite fell to the ground instead. But now that it's my turn, I realize it's involuntary.

Knowing full well it's not good, not proper, one still can't help but think it, do it. Knowledge and action at odds…"

Xue Xuan shook his head, clearly deeply disappointed in himself.

The attendant listened without understanding and decided silence was the best response.

He was often like this with the Master, and Xue Xuan was used to it.

After finishing the letter, he took up the portraits and examined them carefully: "Natural disasters and man-made calamities — people have to be sent to stable, prosperous places to be sold for big money. Start the search from Jingcheng, then work outward from Jingcheng as the center."